Life After You
by luvin-benadam
Summary: Katniss has completely fallen apart after the end of the rebellion. When she turns to someone for comfort, there are serious consequences. Consequences that Katniss wants nothing to do with. Almost six years later not a day goes by when Katniss doesn't regret her decision. But what happens when everything she has pretended never happened comes suddenly back into her life?
1. Chapter 1

It is days like today that I question everything. Why I do this job. Why I make the decisions that I do. Why I left everyone and everything I have ever known behind. But the answer is simple and it comes to me so quickly and easily that it eases every other question from my mind. Her. I do it for her. Every choice I question, every decision I struggle with is for her benefit, her betterment, for the hope that all of these things I struggle with now will somehow make it easier on her in the end.

When the world spins out of control and there's nothing I can do to stop it, I think of her face. Big Seam eyes in a pale face, long, dark hair that falls down her back, and suddenly it doesn't matter anymore. The world may still be spinning but my gravity, the thing that holds me right in my place, is right here in front of me.

I cannot wait to get back home to her. Today has been hell. I need her to hug me with the enthusiasm only she can show for me, kiss my cheek, and make everything better like only she can. There's just a small matter of all the work I have to do before I can get home to that moment I'm longing for.

A knock sounds on my office door and I mutter a quick, very unenthusiastic, "Come in."

Paylor's face peeks around the corner with a sheepish smile. "I'm in need of a second of your time, Commander Hawthorne."

I grin at her, deciding to play along with her formalities. "Of course, President."

She smiles back, a big, open mouthed grin, and shuts the door behind her, settling herself into the chair opposite my desk. "How's the new recruitment coming along?"

As Commander of The Armed Forces of District 2, recruitment of new soldiers is just one of the many lengthy descriptions that come under my job title. "Slowly," I reply.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she says. "I've just come from a meeting with my District Statistics Manager; he had some interesting numbers for me to contemplate."

"Is that so?"

"Is it!" She says with a smile. "He tells me that District morale is quite high right now. It's been almost six years since the end of the rebellion. People are starting to flourish again. The population is on the rise, even in the outlying districts."

"You're thinking that we should try and recruit from outside of the district?" I guess where she's going.

"Exactly. The districts aren't as segregated as they once were. There's more of a feeling of unity amongst them. The new soldiers are living great lives, it's a life more people might consider if offered the opportunity."

I contemplate her reasoning and can easily see the benefits. "I think it's a great idea. I'll get started on setting up a meeting with the media relations team and see what they can come up with."

Paylor smiles. "Excellent. But not today. Go home, Gale. I know the past couple weeks have been hard on you. Take the afternoon off and go spend it with your girl."

A genuine grin lights up my face. Paylor knows me well enough to know just how much this means to mean. "Thank you, really."

"Of course. Now get out of here! I'll see you Monday, Hawthorne."

I don't need any more encouragement than that. I pack up the last of my documents and head out my office door.

HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG 

It's late October so the walk home is chilly but refreshing. The cool air helps cleanse me of the stress of work and anxiety and by the time I reach my front walk I'm feeling much more relaxed. I crunch over the fallen leaves to my front door and open it wide. It's warm inside. The fire has recently been turned off but the remnants of heat still cling to the walls and hang heavy in the air. Something smells faintly like pumpkin, cinnamon and sweet wafting through the thick air from the kitchen. This is home. This is where I am happiest.

It is suspiciously quiet. I walk through the house until I find her, crouched on the floor of her room. It takes her a minute to realise that I'm there, but when her eyes meet mine her face lights up in explicit joy. She doesn't say a word, just jumps from her spot on the ground and into my arms. This is the moment I have been waiting all day for since the moment I kissed her goodbye this morning.

"I missed you," I whisper into her hair. The scent of pumpkin clings to her.

"I missed you too." She clings onto me tighter.

I pull away from our embrace to look into her face. She has the Seam look but softer, more gentle. Less hardened by the world, thankfully. Her grey Seam eyes have a hint of blue that sparkles in the light like a beacon of hope. I press a kiss to her forehead.

"Someone smells suspiciously like cookies," I say with a grin.

Her laugh lights up the room, a deliciously innocent giggle. She says nothing.

"Caia!" I tease, digging a finger into the ticklish spot in between two of her ribs. She recoils and laughs harder, squirming to get away from my attack. "You made cookies without me?"

She laughs again and throws herself into my arms, nuzzling her face into my shoulder. "No, no Daddy. We saved you some!" Her enthusiasm is infectious.

"I can have some, too?"

She nods and some of her dark ringlettes bounce against her shoulder. I scoop her up into my arms and stand. "Now where exactly is Zinnia?"

"She's in the kitchen," Caia replies.

I carry my daughter back downstairs and into the kitchen where Zinnia, our nanny, is cleaning the last of their baking escapades.

"Gale!" She exclaims. "I didn't hear you come in. You're home early."

"Yeah Paylor told me to take the afternoon off, " I reply.

"Well that was generous of her."

I nod in agreement.

"Did you need me to stay, or..." Zinnia's sentence trails off.

"No, no, by all means, head home," I tell her. "I think Caia and I can handle the afternoon to ourselves." I look to Caia who's giving me a sweet smile. She cuddles back into my chest and I savour it. My four year old loves hugs, but isn't generally this cuddly.

"Okay, thanks. I think Caia might be coming down with something. She's a bit more mellow than usual and she had a bit of a temperature earlier. We've just been taking it easy today."

Concern immediately rushes over me. I place a palm to her forehead. She feels a bit warm but nothing to be too concerned about for the moment. "Okay, I'll keep an eye on her. Thanks so much, Zinnia. We will see you on Monday."

"Bye Gale, bye Caia." She hugs my daughter and heads out the door, leaving the two of us alone.

"What do you say my little pumpkin monster, should we go put on a movie?"

She smiles wide. "Yes please!"

As we walk to the living room I hear the phone ringing from my office. "Caia go pick a movie, Daddy will be right there."

She nods and runs off while I backtrack and answer the phone.

"Hello?"

The voice that answers is familiar but burdened. "Hi, Gale."

"Hi, Mom," I reply. "Is everything okay?"

Her silence tells me all I need to know. "Gale, there's something we need to talk about. I think you should come home."


	2. Chapter 2

My little girl is in wide-eyed wonderment as she watches the districts zoom past her on our train ride, little fingers pressed against the cool glass of the window, heavy eyes fighting off sleep to fill in the last of wonder she can absorb. There's a heavy silence in the air. Caia is just an innocent child but she can aptly feel the tension radiating through my body. I think back to the phone conversation with my mother just hours before.

_"Gale, there's something we need to talk about. I think you should come home." _

_ "Mom what's wrong?" The panic in my voice is palpable. _

_ "Gale honey this is not something I want to discuss over the telephone. Please come home. We need you here right now." _

_ "Is everyone okay?" I prod. _

_ "Everyone is fine. But we will all be much better once you're here." _

_ I sigh, a heavy, burdened feeling settling into the pit of my stomach that I know won't go away until I get some answers. "Can I come out tonight?" I ask. _

_ "Of course. The sooner the better. And Gale?" _

_ "Yes, Mom?" _

_ "Can you please bring Caia with you? We're all dying to see her." _

_ The repercussions of bringing Caia to District 12 threaten to choke me, but when my mother is calling me out of the blue and asking me to come home with her granddaughter, there's not many reasons I can say no. _

_ "Sure, Mom. We'll catch a train out tonight." _

I snap back from my reverie and catch my daughter, wide eyes blinking rapidly to stave off sleep before finally giving in and coming to a rest on the pale skin below. Her sleepy head rests against the window and I grab the soft blanket from next to her and tuck it around her, placing a kiss to her forehead and sitting back down in my seat to gather my thoughts.

It's nearly three am by the time we meet District 12. A warm glow emminates from the bulbs overhead, softly illuminating the deserted station. I carry a still sleeping Caia in my arms, our bags in another, and begin the short walk from the station to my old family home. Being back here is bizarre. The district has rebuilt everything since the rebellion and even though it all looks slightly different, it's still exactly the same. It has the same air, the same feeling, and a thousand memories all rush through me at being back here. By the time I get to my mother's house I am completely overwhelmed.

She's waiting up for us, of course. Fire warming the cozy house, fixed up in the extreme since I grew up here as a child, pot of tea on the stove, she ushers us inside and takes Caia from my arms.

She stirs delicately and her lip quivers when she wakes up to find herself looking into the eyes of a women who is a stranger to her.

"It's okay hunny. It's just Grandma."

Caia's eyes search the room for me and I give her an encouraging smile and nod.

"Hi, Grandma."

My mother's eyes are alight with pride and joy at her first and only grandchild being back in her arms. "Hi my sweet. I've missed you. Why don't we get you to sleep. You and Posy are going to share a bed tonight."

She lifts Caia from the couch and I follow them to Posy's room where Caia crawls into the bed with her. I press a kiss to her forehead.

"I'll be just down the hall if you need me."

She nods a sleepy head and is back asleep before I can even walk out of the room. Back in the kitchen my mother finally stops to take stock of me. Her warm and familiar hands find my cheeks, flushed with cold, and her eyes scan over my body.

"You're looking well," she says with a smile. "I see someone's been getting more than their fair share of a decent meal," she jests, patting my stomach playfully.

I smile sheepishly. "I'm happy, Mom."

Her returning smile is genuine. "That's all I ever asked for with you." The embrace she offers me is warm and full of happy childhood memories, safe in these arms. "We've missed you, Gale. So much. And Caia. She's so big now! And does she ever look like her mother."

I falter. "I know. She reminds me of her every day. How is she?"

The silence to my question means nothing good at all. "I don't see her much, really. I try to stop by every once and awhile but when she's having a bad day she won't see anyone. She just sits in that house all day long."

"And Peeta lets her? Just sit around and mope for six years?!" My voice is louder than I intended.

"Gale, Peeta has tried absolutely everything to get Katniss to snap out of it. Nothing has worked."

My breath is heavy in my chest. I am filled with so many emotions I can't even pick out which one is the most prevalent. There is an overwhelming desire to help her that has never left me since we were children. There is horror that a woman I once loved has let herself get this far into a hole. Pity, that she couldn't pull herself from it. Guilt, at not being able to be the one to save her, at being the one who added to her pain. I am physically and emotionally exhausted.

"Why don't you get some sleep," my mother offers. "Rory and Vick are both in Rory's room tonight so you can have Vick's."

I nod, fighting the urge to break down. "Thanks, Mom." I kiss her cheek and head off down the hall, crawl under the covers, and am asleep before my head hits the pillow.

HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG

I am awoken early by the sound of hushed whispers and giggling from the foot of my bed.

"You wake him up!" One voice says.

"No you do it!" Replies the other.

"Okay I'll do it," concedes the first.

I hear little footsteps creep up and approach the side of the bed and a feather light fingertip touch the tip of my nose. I stop faking sleep and make a sudden motion, pretending to bite off the finger close to my mouth.

Caia screams and pulls her hand away, giggling and laughing with Posy at the end of the bed.

"Daddy!" Caia calls. "You were faking!"

I scoop her up into my arms and press kisses into her hair. "Yes I was. Your aunt Posy is teaching you bad tricks!"

I look to my sister, so grown up now at almost twelve. Had the rebellion not happened, this year would have been just another sibling to worry about being reaped into the hunger games. I am all the more grateful for the way things turned out.

"Posy," I say, placing Caia on the floor and walking to my sister, pulling her in for a hug. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too, Gale," she replies. "Come on, Mom says breakfast is ready."

The table is set and there are four plates of steaming food waiting for us. This is a sight I never thought I would see in this home in my lifetime.

"Where are Vick and Rory?" I ask.

"They both had to work today, unfortunately. But they'll be home later."

I nod and shovel a forkful of waffle into my mouth.

"And what are your plans for the day?" My mother asks knowingly.

I sigh. I think she knew the answer before I did. "I think...I think I'm going to have to go see Katniss."

**Hey guys! Please please pleeeeease review! Good criticism, bad, any form of feedback is welcomed and definitely helps keep writers motived to keep going! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to writing more soon. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! So I know there is a little bit of confusion about Caia and Katniss and Gale's history but it will all be explained in time! For the meantime I hope you guys continue to read and enjoy! **

The forest is just as I remember it. The trees still dance the same way in the cool Autumn wind, the air still whistles as it finds a gap to slide its fingers through, the smell of wet, dead leaves still permeates the air. But everything is different. There is no Katniss waiting in this forest for me, sitting on our rock popping berries into her mouth. There is no game to hunt for in order to keep our families alive. There is a small part of me that aches for those moments in these woods with her, that aches to go back six years before everything got complicated. But the rational part of me knows that its not those times that I ache for, it's that girl. The girl Katniss used to be before she slipped away from us all. Before she gave up everything she had for absolutely nothing.

I desperately want to go and see her but I'm afraid. Afraid to see what she's let herself become, afraid to know just what a depression she's fallen into. In my ignorance I can pretend that she's that same girl from the forest, strong and indestructible and unfailing. I can picture her happy and thriving. But ignorance is not bliss and there is only so long that I can delude myself into thinking that she's okay without knowing for certain.

I walk the familiar path back from our spot, every tree a distant memory, and try to fight the overwhelming desire to run away from this place I left behind. I want to protect Caia from all the possible devastation that could await her, the rejection and pain she's already been subjected to once before, thankfully too young to remember anything.

It doesn't take me long to get back home where I find my daughter, my mother and my siblings in the living room waiting for me to get home. Vick and Rory grin at me from the couch and rise to greet me. I am astounded at how much they've both grown. Gone are the little boys I left behind and in front of me are men.

Rory's arms wrap around me in a tight, manly hug with a thump on the back and a "Glad you're home, brother," from his mouth.

Vick shakes my hand then hugs me as well. "You should have come home sooner."

Guilt racks me. "I know. I'm sorry I haven't been around much."

He smiles in what seems like a forgiving way and we all sit back down on the couch.

"Mom, you said you wanted to talk to me?" I'm so anxious about what she has to tell me that I haven't stopped thinking about it since the moment I hung up the phone with her.

"I do. Posy, could you please take Caia into your room? I'd like to talk to your brothers."

Posy pouts at being excluded. "Okay," she says with a sigh. "Come on, Caia." She takes my little girls hand and they bounce away.

If my mother wants to talk to us without children here, her news can be nothing good.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Vick asks.

She takes a deep, steadying breath and swallows. "You know I love you boys very much."

No good news has ever followed from a proclamation like this.

"But there's something I need to tell you," she continues. "I'm sick. The healer here doesn't know what's wrong with me, but she knows it isn't good."

"Sick?" My mind can't comprehend what she means by this. I see sick as a running nose and some body aches but I know she hasn't called me back here for a minor cold. "What do you mean, sick?"

"I can't keep food down, my body won't let me. I get very dizzy all the time. I just haven't been feeling good these past few months. The healer says I'm going downhill fast. And that there's not much she can do for me."

I can't believe I haven't noticed any of these things until she pointed it out. Can't believe that I missed how waifishly thin she is, how pale her complexion is, how thin her hair has become. The silence in the room is palpable.

"What are you saying, Mom?" Rory asks. I can hear the tears he's fighting back in his voice.

"I'm saying that I don't think I have much time left here with you anymore."

I choke on the sudden rush of emotion that's risen like bile up the back of my throat. "I'll bring you back to District 2 with me. We have amazing healers. Their medicine is very advanced, they can help you." I am determined that I will not lose my mother. Not like this. Not that after everything we've fought for in the rebellion I will lose her to something I can prevent, can control.

"Gale, we're past that. I asked you and Caia to come home so I could have my family together for the last time."

"No!" I shout. "How dare you give up so easily!" I am furious all of the sudden. "You don't get to give up! You have children that need you. A granddaughter that doesn't even know you!"

"Gale," she chokes quietly. "I am not giving up. I have tried everything they suggested to prolong my life. But you just reach a point where you have to stop fighting."

"Stop fighting? Stop fighting! Are you kidding me! No, Mom. You don't get to stop fighting, not when there are people here that need you!" I'm yelling at her. I'm not meaning to but anger is the first emotion I jump to.

There are tears running streams down her face and guilt tugs at me for causing them. I spy Caia's little face peeking from around the corner down the hall. She's come out of Posy's room to hear why I'm yelling. I want to comfort her, to reassure her that everything is okay but all I can think about is how my mother is dying and she doesn't even want to fight for her life.

I turn around and storm from the house. I can hear my mother chase after me and shout my name down the street I'm walking but I don't care. I can't be in that house anymore listening to her speech about dying. I refuse to be a part of her giving up so easily.

My head is spinning. I cross through the town square and stop dead in my tracks. This is the place I was whipped without mercy, where Katniss came to my rescue. I realize that I have to see her, I have to get answers. I need to know why the strongest woman I knew gave up so easily, like my mother was doing now.

The victor's village is in the same spot as before, untouched by the war. Perhaps a little less cared for but familiar all the same. I stand on the precipice of the houses before me, wondering if many of them were still unused, wondering if Katniss even still lived in one of these.

And then I see her through the window of a house to my right. She takes my breath away just as she always has. This is the first time I have seen her in over five years, since the moment she handed me a tiny baby and gave up. She looks the same as always, thinner, which I didn't think was possible, and perhaps more tired. But still the same girl I fell in love with all those years ago. She's clutching a mug of some sort and settles herself onto the couch. Every fibre of my body is aching to walk through that door and breathe her in, but the more rational part of my brain says neither of us are ready for that. I decide to go see someone else, someone who hopefully still has answers for me and someone that I never thought I would turn to in regards to Katniss.

I knock on Peeta's door and it doesn't take him long to answer. His expression is one of confusion, nervousness, and possibly even a little bit of relief.

"Gale," he says.

"Hi, Peeta. I'm sorry to just show up like this."

"No, no," he says. "It's fine. Please, come in."

He steps aside and opens the door for me. I brush the dirt from my shoes onto the front mat and follow him into his living room. It's neat and tidy and well taken care of, small personal mementos scattered about.

"What can I do for you, Gale?" Peeta asks. I can see that he's just as nervous as I feel.

"I'm not really sure, actually," I confess.

"You want to know about Katniss?" He guesses.

I nod. "I'm actually kind of afraid to know about Katniss."

Peeta nods sadly. "You should be. Is she... are you alone?" He asks. I know he's trying to figure out if I've brought my daughter with me. If I've brought Katniss' daughter with me.

"Caia is with my mom."

Peeta nods. If I've made him uncomfortable he doesn't show it.

"How is she?" He asks with a smile.

Involuntarily I smile back. "She's amazing."

"I bet."

"You think I made the wrong choice, don't you? Letting Katniss give up on her baby?" I ask.

Peeta shakes his head. "I'm in no place to judge you, Gale. But no, I don't actually. I think in the place Katniss was in when she had the baby, she would have been in no state to raise her. Maybe in time she would have grown to be affectionate and there's always a chance that Caia would have been the saviour that snapped Katniss out of this state she's been in. But what chance is that to take? To allow a child to be raised in an environment where she's not wanted? I think you made the right choice, and I know it was not easy for you."

I'm silent, absorbing Peeta's reaction. There was a small part of me that always thought that Peeta was grateful that I took the baby away, leaving Katniss all alone for him. But Peeta is not like that. He has only ever wanted what was best for Katniss.

"Thanks, Peeta. So you and Katniss..." The rest of my sentence trails off.

"I've been asking myself the same question for six years. Katniss is not the same person she was before the war. The woman in that house is a stranger to me. She rarely eats, sometimes all she does is sleep. I have tried everything I know how to do to help her, but I'm not sure what's left to save anymore."

"You never moved on, found someone else?"

"I was seeing Delly Cartwright for awhile. It helped having someone who wasn't emotionally locked out. But we drifted. I don't think she could ever get over my desire to help Katniss."

I nod understandingly. "I'm sorry, Peeta. Sorry that you were left behind to deal with this mess on your own."

"Don't be. I'm relatively happy in my life, that's all I can ask for. But I am glad that you're back. Katniss was actually asking about you for the first time in a very long time."

I am genuinely surprised by this. "And Caia? Does she ever ask about her daughter?"

"Every now and again. Asks if I've heard from you guys or talked to you. It's actually more frequently that she's been asking. I'm hoping that, at some point if you feel comfortable, you'll go see her? Maybe, and of course it's up to you, bring Caia to see her? I think it might do her some good."

This is exactly what I hadn't wanted in coming home. Caia meeting the mother that left her behind and then being torn away from her again.

"I know it's a lot to ask, and I know that it's not my place, but I really do think that in the long run it will help her."

I swallow hard. "I have a lot to think about."

"I'm sure you do."

"I should probably head home to my family but thank you for being so open with me, Peeta. I do appreciate it."

"Anytime, Gale." He extends his hand to me to shake and I place my palm in his, a sign of commrads uniting for a common good.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm not sure how long I've been staring at Katniss' door but my fingers are numb with cold and my ears burn red in the chilly wind. I'm guessing it's been awhile. A large part of me aches to reach out and knock on the thin wood that separates me from her, to close the divide between us, but terror stops me. I don't want to have to face the reality that waits for me behind this door, to face the repercussions of opening myself back up to the woman who shut me out of her life. In the perfect world we would be together raising our daughter, happy and thriving, but we are far from perfect, Katniss and I.

I ache for Caia. I want to wrap her little body in my arms and whisk her home, safe and away from the pain that lives here, safe and away from the mother that didn't want her. I want to protect myself from that pain, too. But the reality of the situation is that, with my mother telling me she's sick, I'm facing the stark realization that not everyone will be around forever. And if there's even the slightest chance that Caia can have her mother in her life then that's a chance I need to take.

But not today.

I turn to leave and am halfway down the path when I hear the door creak open behind me. My body tenses as nerves seize me. I am terrified to turn around.

"Gale."

Her voice is so familiar, so soothing and real and undeniably solid that it's like the past five years apart never happened. Her tone holds no surprise like she knew I was there all along.

I turn and am surprised at how little she's physically changed. The sight of her still makes my heart turn over.

"You didn't knock."

So she knew I was there all along.

"I wasn't ready." These are not the words I had chosen to say when I saw her for the first time.

She's silent. If she's waiting for some grand speech from me then she's going to be waiting awhile. After five years and countless hours fantasizing about what I would say to her in the moment we reunited, I am speechless.

"Are you ready now?" She opens the door wider and steps aside to allow me to pass.

I hesitate. Am I ready? It sure doesn't feel like it with my heart hammering loudly against my chest and my palms clenched into fists at my sides. But I also wasn't ready to be a father and now I wouldn't change that for the world. I step toward her in the last moments of fleeting bravery I have left and follow her into her home.

We settle onto the couch in the living room I saw her in earlier today, knees slightly turned towards each other, breathing in the silence. I can't help but stare at her dark eyes surveying me, her slightly hollowed cheeks flushed at the bone, her long hair tied into a braid.

"What are you doing here, Gale?" She breaks the silence.

I'm not sure how to respond to this. What am I doing here? I pick my answer carefully.

"I don't know." That wasn't what I had intended.

Concern flashes through her eyes. "Caia?" The name is a whisper from her lips, unsure and hesitant as if she has no right to speak it.

"Caia's fine. I came back for my Mom."

"Is she here with you?"

The father in me wants to lie to protect his little girl from harm but the man in me wants to give a chance to the woman he used to love.

"She's at my moms."

"Oh." Is all she says.

"How are you?" I'm not sure I want the answer.

Her head snaps up from her chest and her eyes bore into mine. It's almost as if nothing has changed. Like the woman before me is still my hunting partner, my best friend, the person I know inside and out beyond a shadow of a doubt. But then I remember that I don't know this woman at all, the one that gave up on her family, the one that gave up on everything. The two are nothing alike.

"I'm fine." Typical.

"No you're not."

Anger flashes through her eyes. A spark of emotion that reminds me of the fire that once burned through this girl. "What would you know, Gale. You haven't been around."

Fury, hot and bubbling, rages through me. "Well I wonder what drove me away," I spit back.

This isn't going how I pictured it but I am angry and upset about my mother and am completely overwhelmed. Something crosses her face that I can't quite place, guilt maybe, or perhaps I'm just reading too much into what I want to see.

"What do you want, Gale? Why did you come back?" She asks again, almost pleads.

It's pure instinct that draws my hand from my side and raises it slowly until my fingertips, still calloused and rough, find the blush on her cheek and rest there. She flinches at my touch but doesn't pull away, eyes enrapt in mine, pulse quickened under warm flesh.

"You, Katniss. I came back for you."

Her face is expressionless, breathing in my words. I can see a flicker of her old fire blazing behind her eyes, trapped behind years of a depression she can't shake, fighting to get out. But all I get back is a blank stare with pleading eyes and a quivering lip. I draw my hand away and clear my throat, my eyes drifting over to the fireplace, the wall, anywhere but her face.

"Gale." My name is a plea, a far away cry for help from a place she's been stuck in for so long.

"Will you take a walk with me?" I ask suddenly.

If she's contemplating my question her face shows no sign of it.

"I don't know…" She trails.

"Please, Katniss. It's just a walk." I stand from the couch and look down to her, uncertainty in her eyes, and extend my hand towards her.

She doesn't say a word but the hand she places in mine I take as a good sign.


End file.
